Container



A. R. HODGE Feb, M9

CONTAINER iled I "mm Feb, M9 i936, A, R HQDGE Q CONTAINER i Filed April 26, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 11, 1936 UNTED STA'S amant reinar OFFICE 16 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in containers and to a container particularly adapted to provide a carton or box for packaging popcorn or edible nut meats as roasted peanuts and the like or other food materials, especially such food materials as are like processed popcorn for eating directly from the box or carton, and it is the primary object oi' my invention to provide an improved container or carton of the described character which is adapted to hold various granular food stuffs as processed popcorn which, as well Aknown at the present time, is usually placed in sacks by those who process the same and vend it, and especially where it is salted and buttered ready for use. When it is to be eaten from the ordinary sack or open topped package or carton of ordinary construction, a diicult problem is presented due to the fact that if the material is removed from the container by the lingers, the iingers will be soiled with a liability of soiling the clothing, especially by` children, and an attempt to pour the edible materials from the ordinary carton with an open top frequently results in the spilling of the same and consequent soilincr of the clothing, and the invention provides a container that when set up will be normally closed at one end and capable of being left open at the other end for filling, after which its improved construction enables it to be' closed or substantially closed for transportation if desired and then opened at the iilling end to providea restricted discharge opening in the nature of a pouring opening thatvis especially adapted for cooperation with the mouth of the person consuming the processed popcorn or other material from the container, whereby the material may be poured and eaten from the container much the same as a liquid, semi-solid or granular material might be taken from the neck of a bottle into the mouth of a consumer.

Another object of the invention resides inthe provision of a container which may be constructed of a single piece of sheet material having an opening at one end capable of being normally closed, and a specially constructed lilling opening at the opposite end whereby the container may be readily filled through the filling and discharge opening with the granular material as popcorn enclosed to a suiiicient degree for transportation through the cooperation of cooperating flaps, which said aps are capable of a second or supplemental adjustment to provide a restricted opening for the iiow of the popcorn or other material from the container, especially when the container is to be emptied of its contents directly into the mouth of the consumer.

A still further object or the invention is to provide an improved container of the described character in which the illing end of the container is provided with flaps which may be brought into a closed relation with each other to form a closure for transportation of the lled container, the closure flaps being also capable of a subsequent rearrangement to provide a restricted discharge opening at the lling end of the container.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in a carton or container having at one end thereof a plurality of cooperating flaps arranged to form a closure for the container and at the same time, being capable of a rearrangement whereby to form a discharge opening for the contents o-f the container adapted to cooperate with the mouth of the consumer.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide in a container or carton of the described character improved means for opening up o-ne of the walls of the container to permit the discharge of very line granular material from the container when desired, as, for example, pulverized or nely comminuted salt or other detached seasoning materials that may accumulate or aggregate in a container as when the same is used for processed popcorn and analogous materials prepared for edibility.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved container or carton of exible material as paper board or liber board having the characteristics herein described and claimed which may be made and assembled economically so that when once used it may be discarded, obviating the necessity for any cleaning p-rocesses that would be desirable upon reuse and consequently providing a food-distributing container that isnot only economical but sanitary and efcient.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description which is directed to the preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which form a part of my specification, the features of novelty thereof being more particularly set forth in the appended claims.

In the said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a complete plan view of an expanded blank of suitable flexible fibrous board or other analogous material completely cut and ready to be assembled in the manner described in forming the container.

Fig 21s a top plan view of the container Aas-` sembled from the blank of Fig. 1, showing the upper or filling end of the container arranged to provide a restricted opening for discharging granular food materials therefrom.

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the container blank of Fig. 1 after being expanded or set up and having the flaps at the top side closed and interl-ocked to form a closed container for holding granular material within the container as distinguished from the open top arrangement of the container of Fig.,2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, enlarged view of one corner portion of the assembled container and showing in detail a frangible portion capable of being torn out of the side wall to provide a restricted opening through which salt or other powdered flavoring material may be drained from the container.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of the upper end of the assembled container of Fig. 1 when arranged in the manner illustrated in Fig. 2 with the flaps opened up to provide a restricted top discharge opening for the contents of the container.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of an assembled container forming a blank similar to the blank of Fig. 1 but having the top flaps slightly modified, and Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the modified assembled container blank of Fig. 6 showing the top flaps arranged in a position to provide a restricted discharge opening for the contents of the container.

Fig. 8 is a view of the modified container of Figs. 6 and 7 with the top flaps in a different arrangement to make a substantial closure over the granular material as popcorn in the container, and Fig. 9 is a fragmentary side elevation view of the modified container of Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive on a somewhat reduced scale.

Fig. 10 is a top plan View similar to the view of the open-ended carton of Fig. 6 and showing the four foldable top closure flaps in a modified construction for rearrangement and assembly in the manner illustrated in Figs. 11 to 13 inclusive, and in which the top plan View, Fig. 11, illustrates the four top closure flaps arranged to form a closure for holding granular material within the container, Fig. l2 being a fragmentary side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 11, and Fig. 13 being a view similar to Fig. 11 with cooperating portions of two of the opposed end flaps deflected apart to form a restricted discharge opening by which granular material may be readily and conveniently discharged into the mouth of the con sumer or otherwise, Fig. 14 being a side elevatio-n View of the upper end closure portions of the container of Figs. 10 to 13 inclusive, arranged as shown specifically in Fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is a top plan view of a container blank similar to the blank shown in Fig. 1, the view, like the views in Figs. 6 and 10, however, showing only the construction of the flaps at the upper end or filling and discharging end of the container, and Fig. 16 illustrates an arrangement of the filling and discharge iiaps of Fig. 15 in a manner to provide a suitable discharge opening at the lling end of the container, which opening is of a restricted character.

In the preferred form of the container, the blank of Fig. 1 is cut as illustrated to provide the two pairs of opposing side walls. The opposite walls I and II may be and preferably are wider than the opposing walls I2, I3 and they will be folded along the lines indicated and in the usual manner to form a container,the bottom of which will be closed by four flaps, of which the flaps I4 and I5 connected to the wider walls I0 and I I respectively, will preferably be folded to overlie the narrower aps I5 and Il, all four of these flaps being pasted flat upon each other to form a permanent closure at the bottom end of the box.

In the embodiment of the blank shown in Fig. 1, I8 is a narrow extension on the body portion i3 of the blank that may be conveniently used in reenforcing the vertical side walls of the blank when the blank is assembled and closed With the exception of the top flaps. Aside from the special salt drain feature provided in connection with the wall portion I 2 of the blank, it should be stated that my invention is wholly concerned with the construction of the container at the upper or iilling and discharging end thereof and that the side and bottom walls of the container blank shown form relatively no part of my invention as it will be apparent that the novel vfeatures thereof may be engrafted into many and various forms of containers or cartons in so far as the vertical and bottom walls thereof are concerned.

On the narrower side walls of the container (Figs. l. to 5) at the tops thereof, I provide the 22, 23 are provided and in this connection it may :3.

be stated generally that as common in this art that while the various container walls and naps referred to are preferably integrally connected, they will, according to the common practice, be scored to have flexible or folding connection with other contiguous portions of the blank as illus trated by the shaded scoring lines in Fig. i. Accordingly, the blank of Fig. l may conveniently be shipped in the knock-down condition and when desired to be utilized for filling and containing processed popcorn or other granular rnaterials for retail sale and consumption, the carton will be folded to a condition where the narrow nap I8 will overlie the ap i6 on the inside of the carton and may be secured thereto by pasting L' given any special well known form of interlocking construction to forma closed bottom for the container.

When the blank of Fig. l is, therefore, assembled in the manner indicated by having the Vertical side walls and the bottom flaps joined and secured together to form an open topped container, the projecting top ilaps ZE] to 23 inclusive will then project upwardly from the top of the container or they may be folded outwardly to substantially free the open top or iling end of the container in the manner of the similar naps s-ho-wn in Figs. 6, 16 and l5 respectively, in which the container is ready to be lled and assuming that the top flaps 2Q to 23 inclusive are constructed as illustrated in Figs. l to 5 inclusive, the filled container may then be manipulated and readily and conveniently used in the following manner:

First, if it be desired for any reason to close the upper filling and discharging end of the con- Cil character 35.

tainer, this may be accomplished as shown in Fig. 3 by rst folding down flatk on the top end of the contents of the container, the narrow top end naps 2E, 2|, after which the wider top end flap 22 will be folded flat upon the top of the iiaps 2e, 2| and being pro-vided with the specially constructed spaced-apart, substantially parallel slots 24, 25, the cooperating wider top end ap 23 may then be folded over flat upon the flap 22 and the lateral projections 25, 2l at the outer end of the flap 23 inserted in the respective cooperating slots 23, 25 to secure an interlocking relation between the 1Flaps 23v and 22, and forming a closure for the top of the container which i may be availed of whenever the person using the container for dispensing granular food products as processed popcorn may desire to close the same.

The outer and free extremities of the narrower flaps 2Q, 2i are specially constructed, being provided with the substantially parallel outwardly opening notches 2S and 3Q. Between the notches 219 and 33 there will thus be formed relatively wide ilaps 3|, 32 respectively leaving narrower portions 33, 34 at the outside edges of the upper extremities of each of the flaps 20, 2| and the intermediate portions 3|, 32 of the flaps being designed, as will presently appear, to cooperate not only in forming a closure when all the four top flap bodies are folded but to form a discharge orice or mouth delivery spout. The parts 3|, 32 may be somewhat shortened as appears in Fig. l so that when these top closure flaps of the container are arranged for the purpose of feeding or delivering the granular material from the container as shown specically in Figs. 2 and 5, the parts 3|, 32 will not project much if an;T above the upper marginal edges of the upstanding portions o-f the wider top flaps 22, 23.

At the lower left-hand corner of the narrow side panel i2 (Figs. 1 and 4) of the container, I provide special perforation and scoring in the body of the container blank in the nature of a frangible portion designated by the reference The part 35 is designed to be readily torn out or broken away and partly or completely detached to provide a drain orifice for powdered materials as powdered salt on popcorn which may and usually does accumulate in a salted and buttered carton of processed popcorn by separation and sifting away from the granular popcorn particles, and which detached particles are not usually considered wholly edible. The frangible sifting or drain member 35 will preferably be formed by the provision of a crescent-shaped slot through the body of the wall of the container as indicated at 36, and there will be cooperating depending kerfs or slits 31, 38

'bounding the lateral sides of the frangible porf-. tion 35 except for short spaced portions between the upper ends of said slits or kerfs and the extremities of the crescent shaped slo-t 35. At the lower extremities of the kerfs 3l, 38 they will preferably be cross-connected by a scoring line as indicated at 39 so that after the container is lled with processed popcorn which has been salted, any excess accumulation or powdered salt may be sifted from the normally closed lower end of the container if the operator shall insert a ringer nail or some instrument into the slot 35 and tear the frangible body 35 loose where integrally joined with the body wall of the container 'between the crescent slot and the slits 31, 38 so that the part 35 may be fixed or bent outwardly Aon the scored line 39 to whatever degreedesired torpermit the siftingl out of the desired materials therethrough.

This frangible detachablev or semi-detachable powdered salt-discharging device 35 I consider a highly desirable feature of my invention since some convenient means for ridding the container of` excess salt when lled with processed popcorn and the like is highly desirable especially since the granular contents of the container is desired to be eaten by a pouring process through the specially arranged discharge orice at the top in the manner that liquids and granular niaterials are ordinarily discharged from the neck of a bottle as herein described.

The preferred mode of manipulating the container will in many respects be apparent from the foregoing description which should be supplemented by stating that my improved container, especially when the powdered salt sifting or discharging feature is employed, will ordinarily be used without any ilexible inner lining and when the container is set up with the four vertical side walls connected and the bottom naps folded and secured together in the conventional manner to form a closed bottom, the desired filling material as popcorn may be inserted through the open top, after which the top ilaps 2i) to 23 inclusive may be manipulated in the manner illustrated inl Fig. 3 in which flaps 2i), 2| are first brought inwardly and covered by the downward fold of flapV 22 over which will be superposed in the flat formation over the end of the container and the opposing wider flap 23, whereupon the projections 26 and 21 may be inserted in the cooperating interlocking slots 24, 25 respectively and the container closed in a lled condition or otherwise for transportation as illustrated in Fig. 3.

At any time that it is desired to discharge the materials from the container and especially when the saine is to b e eaten, the top specially constructed flaps 20 to 23 inclusive will preferably be arranged in the following manner either from their normal upstanding positions as shown in Fig. 1 or by first bringing them to that condition from the closed condition of Fig. 3 by disengaging the flap 23 from its interlocking relation with the flap 22, whereupon the operator, if there is no inner lining material to be removed from the granular or powdered contents of the box, will bring the wider top iiaps 22, 23 at their upper extremities to a position where they will be separated approximately the distance apart of the slots 29, 33 in the narrower top iiaps 20, 2|

`whereupon by bending the flaps 20 and 2| inwardly to conform substantially to the angular side edges of the wider side flaps 22, 23, the respective kerfs orI slots 2i), 36 may be caused to telescope over the angular side edges of the flaps 22, 23, finally coming to an interlocking rest position in the notches iii, di, thus putting the top closure flaps 25 to 23 inclusive in the condition illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5 which is fully attained in the manner described except for the fact that the discharge opening thus formed at the top of the container may be slightly enlarged and greater clearance given by a bending of the intermediate parts of the narrow side flaps as indicatedat 3|-, 32 to asubstantially vertical position on the lines 43, ill as indicated in Fig. i which may be either recessed or indented or scored to assist in this bending operation of the parts 3|, 32 to their n-ormal discharging positions as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5 and for assisting in retaining them in that position, due also in a measure to the slight friction of the contiguous parts of the wider flaps 22, 23 in which condition a rectangular, and in the embodiment shown, a substantially square discharge orice 45 as indicated will be produced. The shortened portions 3|, 32 of the narrow end flaps will, in this position support the outer ends of the flaps 22, 23 terminating in the projections 26, 21 respectively and these parts may be engaged on their outei surfaces by the lips of the person desiring to impart the contents or a portion thereof of the container into the mouth for eating, the constricted orifice or opening thus formed permitting the edible portions of the contents of the package to be taken directly into the mouth without any danger of spilling or of soiling the clothing or any portion or' the body of the user.

In Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive, I show a modified form of the invention in which a box having four vertical walls and a permanently closed bottom of any conventional type may have the invention embodied therein by the use of the two opposing wide top side flaps 50, corresponding generally in construction to the flaps 22, 23 of the form of the invention of Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the chief difference in the construction of the flaps 5D, 5| aside from the slight modification in the design of the outer periphery of the same, being in the omission of the slots 24, 25. `In this modification of the invention the relatively narrower opposing flaps 52, 53 corresponding generally to the aforesaid ilaps 20, 2| are made somewhat shorter and I provide in the margins of their outer extremities a series of notches or outwardly opening slots corresponding gene ei'ally to the aforesaid slots 29, 30. However, in the marginal edges of each of the narrower flaps 52, 53 there are four slots of less depth than the aforesaid slots 29, 30, being designated by the reference characters 54 to 51 respectively. When the top flaps 50 to 53 inclusive of the modied form of the container of- Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive are employed, the operation will be substantially as before described especially in opening the package to the discharging position as shown in Figs. '1 to 9 which will be accomplished in the manner before described, noting that the outside pair 54, 51 of slots in each of the narrower end flaps 52, 53 will be used to cooperate with the notched portions 46, 4| of the wider top flaps 50, 5| so that a discharge orifice will be thus provided in substantially the manner before described and as shown in Figs. '7 and 9 respectively in which the wider flaps 50, 5| will be braced in a separated condition to cooperate with the notched aps 52, 53 and upon the outside surfaces of which the lips may be superposed and these parts thus braced forming a discharge orifice for the container.

In the modified form of the invention of Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive, the device operates substantially as the form in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive except for the comparison of the two forms with respect to the closed position as indicated by Figs. 3 and 8 and from which it will be seen that the before described form shown in Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive does not readily admit of the same form of interlocked closing as the first said form but a substantial closure for holding processed popcorn or other granular materials for temporary transportation at least may be secured by a manipulation of the top members 5D to 53 inclusive from the described open position shown in Fig. 7 where the outside pair of notches 54, 51

in each narrow end flap is utilized to a position where the interengaging notches 40, 4| of the wider end aps are caused to engage on the inside pair of notches 55, 56 in each of the narrower end aps bringing the extremities of the wider end flaps 50, 5| so close together in the manner illustrated in Fig. 8 as to virtually close the container against loss of granular material like processed popcorn, shelled peanuts and other confections, although my invention is particularly adapted as a processed popcorn container.

When the top flaps 56 to 53 inclusive are opened up as illustrated in the top plan View of the carton in Fig. 6 and after being lled with popcorn or other granular materials, the specific construction of these top end iiaps in a manner analogous to the form of Figs, 1 to 3 inclusive will permit the dispenser or the purchaser to substantially close the container in the manner illustrated in Fig. 8 by causing the intermediate notches 55, 56 to engage the edges of the respective wider top end fiaps 50, 5| at 40 and 4| and if a temporary closure for transportation is not desired or at any time thereafter the purchaser, desiring to eat the contents of the container, may arrange the top end flaps 50 to 53 inclusive so as to engage the outer cooperating notches 54, 51 to provide a satisfactory discharge opening 45 as shown in Fig. 1 capable of functioning precisely like the same type of opening lshown in Fig. 2.

In Figs. 10 to 14 inclusive I show a further modification of the invention, Fig. 10 being a top plan view of a carton of the general character heretofore described in connection with Figs. l and 6, the four top end flaps, however, being modified as shown most clearly in Fig. 10 in which the reference characters 60, 6| represent the narrower pair of opposing flaps in the filling and discharging end of the carton corresponding with the respective flaps 20, 2| and 52, 53 heretofore described and functioning in substantially the same manner to cooperate with the wider pair of iiaps 62, 63, the latter being slightly modied where provided with the adjacent cooperating notches 64, 65 (Fig. 10), the chief difference residing in the shape of the converging sides of the flaps 62, 63 which are curved as indicated at 66 so that the relatively longer end top flaps 69, 6| may be curved thereover when closed in the manner illustrated in Fig. 12, the iiaps 60, 6| being relatively longer than the flaps shown, for example, in Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive, so that the terminal portions thereof between the slots 61 as designated by 68 may extend inwardly to a point where they may, when in the interlocking position as shown, for example, in Fig. 12, be pressed downwardly to form a substantial closure between the wider side flaps 63 in the manner indicated by the dotted-line positions of these flaps 68 in Fig. 12. It will be seen that this modied construction providing the foldable or depressible elongated closure parts 68 for the discharge orifice permits the discharge orifice between the side flaps 62, 63 and the end flaps 6B, 6| at the top filling and discharging end of the container to be readily arranged by bending the flaps 68 upwardly and outwardly to a substantially vertical position to provide a modified form of rectangular discharge orifice indicated by the reference character 10, the side elevation of these flaps in the open position being shown] in the dotted and full lines 68, of Fig. 14.

A further modication of the invention is shown in Figs. and 16 in which a carton similar to the ones in which the invention has been shown applied in Figs. 1 to 14 inclusive is shown provided with top closure and discharge flaps of a special construction, these flaps being four in number and designated generally by the reference characters 88 to 83 inclusive. In the before described embodiments of the invention, the respective opposing flaps at the top filling and discharging end of the carton are duplicates in construction whereas in the modified form of Figs. 15 and 16, the narrower opposing flaps consist first of a relatively short, rectangular flap 82 and an opposing triangular ap 80, while on the long sides at this end of the carton or box, the flap 8| in the form of a frustum of a triangle is provided, this flap being somewhat elongated so that its narrow outer extremity as indicated at 84 may be narrowed sufficiently to cooperate with a corresponding interlocking notch 85 on the opposite flap 83. When this modified form of the carton is filled, the narrower flaps 80, 82 may be first folded over flat upon the open end of the carton and the slotted flap 83 then folded over thereupon to secure both the narrower flaps in position, after which the flap 84 with its narrowed outer extremity may be brought to the folded flat position on top of the previously folded flap 83 and the narrowed extremity 84 thereof brought into interengaging and locking position. While the purchaser or user of the carton who may desire to eat the contents thereof may provide a discharge orifce of the desired limited capacity for cooperation with the mouth of the eater by arranging the respective flaps in the manner shown in Fig. 16 Where the flap 80 is in an unfolded condition with respect to the filling and discharging end of the carton, the discharge opening thus formed and designated at 88 in Fig. 16 being attainable by reason of the contour of the slotted long side flap 83 which is recessed or cut away in the manner indicated at 81 but only suiiiciently so that when the small triangular flap 80 is first folded over the end of the carton and underneath the wider flaps 8l, 83, the discharge opening 86 will be normally closed to retain granular material within the container.

My invention makes possible the provision of an improved carton that may be cut from comparatively inexpensive sheet materials by a single cutting operation if desired and foldable to position providing a substantial container for granular material but easily and quickly adjustable to a position to provide a discharge spout or orifice to enable granular materials to be taken therefrom directly into the mouth of the eater without exposing the contents of the container in an undesirable manner or causing the same to contact with the hands or clothing of the user in a mann-er to soil them.

Furthermore, it will be seen that by reason of the inexpensive construction involved, a container of a desirable and improved character is provided for eating granular materials directly therefrom that by reason of its economical construction may be once used and discarded without any necessity or desirability for refilling although the same is capable of refilling and reuse if desired.

In order that the invention might be understood the preferred embodiments thereof have been illustrated and specifically described but it is not desired to be limited to details of construction except as specified in the claims since it will be apparent that persons skilled in the art may resort to various modifications without departing from the purpose and spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A carton or box with sidewalls having cooperating foldable flaps which form a closure for one end when folded, and some of the flaps having recesses for engagement with other flaps upon rearrangement thereof to provide a discharge orifice 0f a restricted character adaptable for cooperation with the mouth of an individual desiring to eat granular material from the interior of the carton or box. g l

2. A carton or box for holding processed popcorn and analogous granular edible materials, having the walls thereof formed of flexible fibrous material withsaid walls having cooperating foldable flaps adapted to form a substantially material-'tight end closure and some of the flaps having recesses and other flaps having projections engageable with the recesses when adjusted from their closed positions to an interlocked position whereby to provide a restricted discharge opening for discharging granular material therethrough from the carton or box.

3. A carton or box for holding processed popcorn and analogous granular ediblel materials, having the Walls thereofn formed of flexible fibrous material with said Walls being adapted to be brought into a condition to form a substantially material-tight container and one of said walls being formed of a plurality of cooperable foldable flaps carrying cooperating engageable interlocking recesses for permanently positioning said flaps whereby to provide an outwardly opening discharge spout for discharging material therethrough from the carton or box.

4. A carton or box having a plurality of side and end walls adapted to be arranged to form a substantial container for granular material, one of the walls thereof being formed by two pairs of oppositely hinged flaps, one pair of which oppositely arranged flaps are provided with a cooperating recess and a projection adapted to engage the said recess for` locking said flaps in normally closed position, the other pair of oppositely formed hinged flaps being provided at their free extremities with a plurality of reentrant slots adapted to be engaged by the first said pair of flaps Whereby to interlock the said flaps to form an open discharge spout for the carton or box.

5. A carton or box having a plurality of side and end walls adapted to be arranged to form a substantial container for granular material, one of the Walls thereof being formed by two; pairs of oppositely hinged aps, one pair of which oppositely arranged flaps are provided with a cooperating recess and a projection adapted to engage the said recess for locking said flaps inv normally closed position, the other pair of oppositely formed hinged flaps being provided at their free extremities with a plurality of spaced-apart cooperating reentrant slots adapted to be adjustably engaged by the first said pair of flaps' whereby to interlock the said aps to form an open discharge spout for the carton or box when said flaps are in one selected interlocking relation provided by said slots and ina substantially closed position with respect to granular materials when said flaps are arranged in a second selected position of adjustment with respect to the said reentrant slots engageable by the first said pair of aps.

6. A carton or box having a plurality of side and end walls adapted to be arranged to form a substantial container for granular material, one of the walls thereof being formed by two pairs of oppositely hinged flaps, one pair of oppositely CII hinged ilaps being provided with integral, lateral projecting portions at the outer extremities of each ap and providing substantial notches in the opposite walls or" each of the said flaps, there being spaced apart reentrant notches in substantial parallel relation in the outer extremities of the other pair of oppositely arranged end flaps whereby said flaps may be arranged in interlocking relation with respect to each other to form a normally open discharge spout, there being also a plurality of spaced-apart slots formed wholly within the body of one ap of the said pair of iiaps provided with the said outer lateral projections whereby to permit the said two pairs of oppositely arranged cooperating end flaps to be locked in folded relation over the adjacent end of the box to form a substantially material tight closure at the end thereof to which the said two pairs of oppositely arranged flaps are hinged.

'7. A carton or box having a plurality of side and end walls adapted to be arranged to form a substantial container for granular materials, one of the end walls thereof being formed by two pairs of oppositely hinged aps, one pair of said oppositely hinged flaps being provided with a pair of cooperating recesses and a corresponding pair of projections adapted to engage said recesses for locking said flaps in normally closed position and said projections and similar projections on the other of said pair of ilaps providing oppositely arranged notches in the opposite outer edges of both of said pair of ilaps, the other pair of said oppositely arranged flaps being provided with a plurality of spaced-apart reentrant notches for cooperating with the said notches in the other pair of oppositely arranged flaps and with the lateral edges of said other flaps for locking the said ilaps in a relation to provide a normally open discharge orifice.

8. A carton or box having a plurality of side and end walls adapted to be arranged to form a substantial container for granular materials, one of the end walls thereof being formed by two pairs of oppositely hinged flaps, one pair of said oppositely hinged flaps being provided with a pair of cooperating recesses and a corresponding pair of projections adapted to engage said recesses for locking said aps in normally closed position and said projections and similar projections on the other of said pair of flaps providing oppositely arranged notches in the opposite outer edges of both of said pair of flaps, the other pair of said oppositely arranged flaps being provided with a plurality of spaced-apart reentrant notches for cooperating with the said notches in the other pair of oppositely arranged flaps and with the lateral edges of said other aps for locking the said flaps in a relation to provide a normally open discharge orifice, the discharge end of which projects above and beyond the normally closed outer end of the carton as determined by the said flaps when in their said position of arrangement to form a closure at said lling and discharging end of the box or carton.

9. A carton or box having a plurality of side and end walls arranged to provide a substantial container for granular materials, one of the end walls thereof being formed by two pairs of oppositely hinged flaps, one pair of which is provided with a plurality of reentrant notches in each of the cooperating extremities thereof, the other pair of flaps being provided with recesses in their outer side .edges adapted for engagement by the reentrant notches in the rst said pair of flaps to form a normally open discharge spout projecting above the normally closed end of the box as determined by the folding flat of the two said pairs of oppositely arranged flaps upon each other, the said orifice being provided with normally closable means comprising iiexible portions of the said oppositely arranged end flaps provided with the said reentrant notches in the end portions thereof and capable of being folded toward each other between the said cooperating pair of laterally notched end flaps. y

l0. A carton or boxvhaving a plurality of side and end walls arranged to form a substantial container for granular material, one of the walls thereof being formed by two pairs of oppositely hinged cooperating flaps, one pair of which oppositely arranged iiaps being provided in their outer terminal edges with cooperating reentrant spaced-apart slots, there being cooperating spaced-apart notches on the lateral edges of the other pairrof end aps adjacent their free outer extremities whereby the said two oppositely arranged pairs of end flaps may be selectively interlocked in one relation to form a normally open discharge spout and in the second interlocking relation to form a substantial closure for granu lar material of an appreciable size in the said end of the carton or box.

1l. A carton or box having a plurality of side and end walls adapted to be arranged to form a substantial container for granular materials, one of the end walls thereof being formed by two pairs of oppositely hinged flaps, there being four spaced-apart reentrant notches in each of one pair of the two oppositely hinged pairs of flaps, and means on the two other oppositely arranged aps adapted to be engageably related to the rst said notched flaps whereby the said ilaps may be interlocked in each of two Selected positions to form a normally open discharge orice for granular material of an appreciable size and in the other interlocking relation to form a substantial closure for the same at the discharge end of the carton or box.

12. A carton or box having-a plurality of side and end walls adapted to be arranged to form a substantial container for granular material, one of the walls thereof being formed by hinged aps adapted to be arranged in relation to each other to form a closure for the box or carton and in a second selected arrangement to form a normally open discharge spout for granular material as processed popcorn, and a frangible, detachable drain opening cover formed integrally from the body of one of the walls of the carton.

13. A carton or box having a plurality of side and end walls adapted to be arranged to form a substantial container for granular material, one of the walls thereof being formed by hinged flaps adapted to be arranged in relation to each other to form a closure for the box or carton and in a second selected arrangement to form a normally open discharge spout for granular material as processed popcorn, and a frangible, detachable drain opening cover formed integrally from the body of one of the walls of the carton at a point therein remote from the end of the carton to which the aforesaid flaps for forming the said discharge spout are positioned.

14. A carton or box having foldable closure flaps for one end having co-operating recesses adapting the flaps to be interlocked with some recesses in a tightly closed position and to be unfolded and reengaged with other recesses to provide a projecting spout with a restricted discharge opening.

15. A carton or box having closure flaps for one .end with projections and recesses some of which interengage to hold the flaps in tightly closed position and the flaps being unfoldable for rearranging and reengaging the flaps by said projeotions and others of the recesses to form a restricted discharge opening.

16. A carton or box having a plurality of hinged flaps at one end to form a closure for the box, and extensible to form a tapered discharge spout with a restricted opening, the flaps having interengaging means to hold them together in forming the spout.

ALFRED R. HODGE. 

